Top 6 Used Car Buying Tips For Canadians

What is the “state of the union” for Canada’s industry of used cars? Well, it depends on whether you’re a buyer–or one of many car dealerships. That said, let’s go over some used car buying tips for those Canadians.

First of all, it’s not that simple for Canadians to get useful information about buying used cars in their own territory or province. As most of the web sites originate in the U.S. with sponsorship by car dealerships and auto part and service companies, not too much in the way of information is available–that is until now. Here are our top six tips of advice for buying used cars in Canada.

1. Deal With Canadian-oriented online sites–assuming your intentions are to go buy your used car in Canada. Some of the newest online sites dedicated to auto parts and service and really anything auto-related even have their content published in both French and English.

2. Know what the conversion rate is from U.S. dollars to CAD. Take a calculator converter with you if going into car dealerships.

3. If you have a leased used car, then don’t lease. Currently, Canada has several “lease breaking” online help sites waiting to get you out of that lease–legally.

4. There are several U.S. companies that are now selling warranties in Canada, so check these out as well as Canadian companies.

5. Prepare yourself by getting as much pricing information as possible–before going to any car dealerships. And be sure to get the dealer invoice price, rebates and manufacturer’s price instantly online. Having this information in a folder when you go to a showroom helps getting the lowest price on your new, used car.

6. Do your homework, research and don’t plunge into anything. Resisting intimidation tactics and letting the car dealer know that you’re about to “walk” may give the salesmen room for re-thinking the strategy for making a sale. Especially helpful is to spend a few extra dollars to get the car’s vehicular history from an online source.

Taking advantage of the dynamics of data and information web sites about vehicle usage and previous owners, accidents, auto specs, discounts, a car’s quality and overall performance since it was first manufactured, will give a buyer even greater leverage against dealership tactics.

The used car dealer industry in Canada is really big business: a business big enough to generate over C$8 billion, 14,172 employees and 7,809 businesses. This includes cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans as well. Aside from this, auto parts and services, car loan financing and auto insurance side industries have also emerged.

Today, being that it’s growing exponentially, Canada’s used car industry has more than enough reasons to offer you the buyer generous advice and tips on your next used car purchase. Choose wisely.